Criminal
by Elle Leigh
Summary: It was like some twisted version of déjà vu. I blinked several times making sure it wasn't my eyes. I squinted as I looked at her & it was like thinking the name had cleared the cobwebs & allowed the light bulb to shine brightly over my head. AU/OOC


**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all characters from the Twilight Universe. I merely play naughty games with them.**

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><p>I walked into the same Texas bar I'd been coming to off and on for the last month. I have no idea why I came here. It wasn't like I could drink the alcohol that was available. Hell, I couldn't even drink from the humans that congregated here. Well I could...but not really.<p>

The atmosphere was pretty much the same as always, although there seemed to be more anticipation in the air than usual. I shrugged it off and made my way to the back corner booth I sat at religiously. It allowed me to stay somewhat hidden from the human population while also allowing me to keep an eye on the whole room. Past military experience and ramped up vampire instincts didn't allow me to sit with my back to a room. It didn't matter than no one here could sneak up on me or attack me even if they could get close without my noticing. There are some things one's subconscious just didn't allow.

I settled in for a night of people watching and hoped Peter and Char would come by after they got done picking off a couple more dregs of society. Being here by myself all night would prove terribly boring. Oh the occasional over-eager lady would stop by after having spotted me by accident and would proposition me in any number of ways that could be imagined and I'd have to politely turn her down in the least insulting way I could muster. Being an empath allowed me to word things in better ways than I'd have thought possible to get out of some sticky situations.

Suddenly, the anticipatory emotional climate shot through the roof as the bar owner went up to the microphone set up in the center of a small stage to my right. As he began an introduction, I caught sight of a sign near the entrance I'd looked past when I came in that informed people of who would be supplying the evening's live entertainment. Apparently whatever band would be playing this evening was fairly popular with this crowd, but from what I could gather from the introduction being done, the opening act was an up-and-comer who was taking the local bar scene by storm. I grumbled to myself a bit about the fact that I'd have to listen to some mediocre musicians sing and play covers all night, but didn't feel like leaving. I preferred the atmosphere of this particular bar because the people were rather low key compared to most places. It wasn't a punch palace where fights broke out every half hour. It wasn't a place for teeny boppers where you were inundated with hormones and pop music. Nor was it a honky tonk type place where it was country music only. I liked that this place was just...comfortable. Even for someone like me.

The bar owner was finally done rambling about whatever I'd just let go in one ear and out the other and was getting to bringing out the opening act...B Marie was her name. The place erupted with applause at the sound of her name. I'll admit I was taken aback by this. Usually people doing the traveling bar scene weren't that great. _Maybe these people are so used to hearing crap that any half-assed decent act made them wild_, I thought wryly to myself. It was at that time that I smelled Peter and Char come in. They were immediately at the table and settling in. Peter looked at me with a smirk and said, "I don't think so, Major. These folks got it right. You're gonna wanna pay attention to this."

He sat back and propped his boots up on a chair he dragged over before sitting and continued to smirk in the direction of the stage. His emotions were cycling through quickly, but not so quickly that I couldn't pick up on them. Mischief, smugness, anticipation, and giddiness were all present and accounted for; a very dangerous combination when it came to that slick fucker. I narrowed my eyes at him knowing he'd see it in his peripheral vision. His only response was to flip me off, thus causing me to growl in annoyance.

"Calm down, Major or you'll miss the fireworks," he said while tipping his head in the direction of the stage and a full blown shit-eating grin on his cocky fuckin' face.

My jaw tightened and I was about to lose my cool when the most alluring scent filled my flaring nostrils. Caramel and...what I remembered cream to taste like. The scent was enough to send my gland into overdrive, filling my mouth with venom. My whole body turned toward the stage in a move so involuntary that it almost spooked me. The woman who was standing up there was clearly a vampire. If her scent hadn't given her away, the alabaster skin would have. She had a gorgeous mane of mahogany hair that hung to her waist in soft curls. Her full, red lips sat in a natural pout when she wasn't smiling; although she looked more breathtaking when she was. What I was confused about though were her eyes. They were a shockingly bright shade of green that had to be caused by blue contacts over gold eyes. _Gold eyes? _She was an animal drinker too?

I must have been inadvertently projecting my confusion, shock, and awe because Peter looked over at me with his shit eating grin and waggled his eyebrows. All I could do was sit there and stare. There was something I was missing though. I could tell by the way Peter was acting. I looked at Char to see if she knew what the hell was going on, but all she did was shrug her shoulders and look back to the stage with curiosity. I looked back at Peter who now had an eyebrow raised at me as if to ask if I'd figured this fuckery out yet. I felt my eyebrows knit together as I looked back to the stage to take in more of this mysterious vampire. She was nothing short of a goddess really. She had the most delectable hourglass figure that was obvious in her dark green, skin-tight wife beater and painted on jeans. I was surprised to notice she wasn't wearing heels of any kind. Just some ballet flats, which meant she was 5'8'' naturally.

I continued to drink her in piece by piece knowing I was still missing something Peter considered glaringly obvious. I was still trying to put the puzzle together when she announced she'd be doing only a four song set tonight that brought a chorus of disappointed "aww's" from the audience. With nothing further to say, she waited for her music to start. I recognized the opening notes of "Because the Night" rather quickly and was floored when she started to sing. Her voice was like honey, flowing and wrapping around the lyrics like a warm blanket. I had the strangest sensation of feeling like the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end as I listened to her begin the second half of the song.

_Have I a doubt, baby when I'm alone  
>Love is a ring, a telephone<br>Love is an angel, disguised as lust  
>Here in our bed 'til the morning comes<br>Come on now, try and understand  
>The way I feel, under your command<br>Take my hand, as the sun descends  
>They can't touch you now, can't touch you now, can't touch you now<br>_

_Because the night belongs to lovers  
>Because the night belongs to lust<br>Because the night belongs to lovers  
>Because the night belongs to us<em>

_Because the night belongs to lovers  
>Because the night belongs to lust<br>Because the night belongs to lovers  
>Because the night belongs to us<em>

As the song ended, the audience once again erupted in applause, the three of us included. How could you not? Her voice was a deeper register than what one would expect, giving her a very seductive voice anyway. The seducing power increased exponentially when she was singing. Add that to the way she sang the song and gave it a harder edge than the original or any of the popular covers. She took a song I wasn't overly fond of and made it a borderline favorite. I looked back at Peter and Char having realized I taken about five steps away from the table toward the stage without realizing it.

Peter shook his head before saying, "You still don't have a damn clue do you, Major? Are your vampire eyes blind or something?"

I looked back at the stage when I heard her begin to speak.

"Thank you everyone. Thank you very much. That was "Because the Night" originally sung by The Patti Smith Group. The next song I'll be singing is probably lesser known, but the group is one of my favorites so I couldn't resist throwing this one in the mix. It's called "Familiar Taste of Poison" and it's by Halestorm."

I didn't recognize the name of the song or the group for that matter so I would have no frame of reference to compare her version to the original. Although if the first song was any indication, she would blow this one out of the water too. Rather than looking like a slow moving creeper, I decided to get closer to the stage before I got too absorbed and did so involuntarily. I didn't get too close in hopes I could keep my vampirism from grabbing her attention. This song was slower, but still edgy like the first. She began singing and I was swept up in the sound of her voice again.

_Drink the wine, my darling, you said  
>Take your time, consume all of it<br>But the roses were only to drain my inspiration  
>The promises were spoiled before they left your lips and... <em>

_I breathe you in again just to feel you  
>Underneath my skin, holding on to<br>The sweet escape is always laced with a familiar taste of poison_

_I tell myself that you're no good for me_  
><em>I wish you well, but desire never leaves<em>  
><em>I could fight this til the end<em>  
><em>But maybe I don't want to win<em>

_I breathe you in again just to feel you_  
><em>Underneath my skin, holding on to<em>  
><em>The sweet escape is always laced with a familiar taste of poison<em>

_I don't wanna be saved, I don't wanna be sober_  
><em>I want you on my mind, in my dreams behind these eyes<em>  
><em>And I won't wake up, no not this time<em>

_I breathe you in again just to feel you_  
><em>Underneath my skin, holding on to<em>  
><em>The sweet escape is always laced with a familiar taste of poison<em>

_A familiar taste of poison_

_A familiar taste of poison_

Deafening applause made the medium sized bar difficult to handle when you have super hearing. I could feel Peter and Char's discomfort as well, but that didn't mean they weren't clapping like everyone else. Peter even started whistling loudly, something that set my teeth on edge. I had to struggle to not growl possessively in response. Peter apparently recognized this on some level since I felt a very concentrated dose of humor come from his direction. I stood staring at the beautiful creature on the stage trying to figure out why the hell I couldn't figure this shit out. I knew the answer was right in front of me, quite literally in fact. I decided to get a little closer yet in hopes my eyes would pick up on something they hadn't from farther away. I knew that was impossible really, but what the hell else would explain this extended period of _what the fuck? _

The next song started and I recognized this one surprisingly quickly despite the rock element being given to the song. It was Duran Duran's "Come Undone" and it was _so_ much better than their version... not that it would take much. It was certainly a la My Darkest Days' version of the song. I paid more attention to B Marie this time rather than letting myself get lost in her voice. I was watching for mannerisms now, anything to clue me in to who this woman was and what she was supposed to mean to me. My reactions to her were answering the latter of those two questions quite quickly. It wasn't surprising that she was likely my mate. I had always known Alice wasn't it for me. That relationship was definitely one of convenience for both parties involved. I needed someone to help me see there was another way of "living" and she needed someone to control; nothing more, nothing less. _The incident_ was simply the excuse we could use for the family's sake when it came to us separating.

_'Bella,' _my mind sighed. I thought of her often. More so lately than usual. I really hope the poor girl had found some form of peace and happiness.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts of her so I could focus on B Marie. I looked up at her on the stage and felt like I was seeing her in an almost newer light than what I had only moments before. It was like some twisted version of déjà vu. I blinked several times making sure it really wasn't my eyes. I squinted as I looked at her and it was like thinking the name had cleared the cobwebs and allowed the light bulb to shine brightly over my head. But there was no way. It couldn't be. Bella was a clumsy human living out her life as a college student somewhere. This couldn't possibly be her.

I sensed Peter come up next to me and clap a hand on my shoulder. "That's some mighty strong disbelief there, Major, but you'd be wrong. That's little ol' Eddie's human alright, in the flesh...or whatever."

I shook my head in denial and moved closer yet to the stage as she got ready to introduce her last song.

"Alright everyone, for my last song tonight I'll be channeling some Fiona Apple and her song "Criminal." Thanks for coming out and be sure to catch me back here a month from now."

I had no clue who Fiona Apple was but boy did I wanna find out once I heard the opening lines to the song.

_I've been a bad, bad girl  
>I've been careless with a delicate man<br>And its a sad, sad world  
>When a girl will break a boy just because she can<br>Don't you tell me to deny it  
>I've done wrong and I want to suffer for my sins<br>I've come to you 'cause I need guidance to be true  
>And I just don't know where I can begin<em>

Fuck. Me. Running.

_What I need is a good defense  
>'Cause I'm feelin' like a criminal<br>And I need to redeemed to the one I've sinned against  
>Because he's all I ever knew of love<em>

I. Am. So. Screwed.

_Heaven help me for the way I am  
>Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done<br>I know tomorrow brings the consequence at hand  
>But I keep livin' this day like the next will never come<em>

I stood with my mouth gaping open while trying to get my vampire brain wrapped around Bella being a vampire and Bella singing this song. While not filled with an overtly smutty message like some songs, the lyrics pouring from _her_ mouth were surprising given how she was the last time I'd been around her. I know people change, but something told me Bella the human's transformation to B Marie the vampire would be one helluva story because clearly some major personality changes had occurred as well.

I got myself together and finally closed my mouth as she continued singing.

_Oh, help me but don't tell me to deny it  
>I've got to cleanse myself of all these lies <em>_'til I'm good enough for him  
>I got a lot to lose, and I'm bettin' high so I'm beggin' you:<br>Before it ends, just tell me where to begin_

_What I need is a good defense  
>'Cause I'm feelin' like a criminal<br>And I need to redeemed to the one I've sinned against  
>Because he's all I ever knew of love<em>

_Let me know the way before there's hell to pay  
>Give me room to lay the law and let me go<br>I've got to make a play to make my lover stay  
>So what would an angel say the devil wants to know <em>

At the beginning of that last line, Bella looked me directly in the eyes and raised an eyebrow while sporting a sexy smirk. Just before beginning the next verse, she sealed any disbelief I may have had of her definitely being Bella by biting down on that luscious bottom lip just like she always did. I knew in that moment with no doubt whatsoever that I had found my mate in Bella Swan who was now a fierce vampire and obviously no longer the shy, blushing teenager from Forks, Washington. I was so fucked.

Bella had finished off the song while I stood there absorbing all this new information. I probably looked like a leering sexual predator to anyone who bothered to look at me, but thankfully everyone was too busy applauding themselves silly to pay any mind to me. There was no doubt my vampire stillness would have been blatantly obvious otherwise in addition to my staring. I forced myself to turn to Peter and Char. Neither was next to me anymore, so with one last glance at the stage where Bella was making her way off, I headed back over to the corner booth we'd been sitting at before my world was turned upside down.

Char was grinning from ear to ear when I approached the table. Clearly Peter had filled her in on the nature of Bella's and my... relationship? I know nothing official had been said or done to warrant that word. Hell, nothing had been said between the two of us period, but there was no way Bella couldn't have realized what we are to each other. What we _will be_. I don't care what it takes, Bella will be mine in every sense of the word if it's the last thing I do in my existence. I glanced over at Peter who was wearing his signature shit-eating grin again. At least he and Char seemed to approve.

I sat down next to Char and ran my hand through my unruly hair in a nervous sort of way. I hadn't thought as to whether I should go to Bella. I guess I expected her to come out here when she was done doing whatever it was she was doing backstage. I looked at Peter again and raised an eyebrow because I knew he was barely containing his shit. He wanted to rub in my face the fact that it took me as long as it did to figure out who she was and what she would mean to me. I could tell by the waves of ironic humor that were rolling off the smug fucker in droves. I finally huffed and rolled my eyes and said, "Alright, asshole. Get it off your damn chest now before she comes out here."

His smug smile widened and he said, while nodding in the direction of the bar, "Too late, Major so I'll take it easy on ya for once in your miserable existence."

I turned to look toward the bar and saw my girl picking up a rocks glass of amber liquid. She brought the glass to her nose and took a deep breath that caused her to close her eyes. As a smile broke out across her face, I zoned in on her emotions and found her to be full of peace, serenity, and utter happiness. The fact that the smell of liquor could make her that calm and happy was a little confusing to say the least. With her eyes still closed, she turned in the direction of our table. The contacts she'd had in must have disintegrated because when she opened her eyes there was nothing but burning liquid gold, and they were trained on me. She began gliding toward us and I couldn't help but notice how her body undulated in the most exotic way simply by her walking. I scanned her delicious curves as she made her way over and wondered why I was being gifted this gorgeous creature as my mate. _My mate. _The thought made me growl lightly and I felt a spike of lust come on my radar from Bella's direction. I slid my eyes back up to hers, quirked a brow and let a devilish smirk settle on my lips. She smirked back with her own pouty lips. She knew. Oh yes, my friends, she knew who was hers and who she belonged to.

I stood up so I could greet her in a gentlemanly way, but she shook her head slowly and said, "Sit down, cowboy. Silly Jasper, I need a place to sit after all."

I sent her a wave of confusion while I sat back down. She simply smirked again while walking the rest of the way to me and proceeded to sit on my lap, wrap a hand around the back of my neck and kiss me full on the lips. I growled again, louder this time, both in surprise and because I was now hard as a rock. Who knew that simple act could ignite the fire of lust like that? And really, it wasn't just her sitting on my lap and kissing me like that. It was her _commanding_ me to sit down and her _taking _what she wanted. Oh yes, this Bella was going to be perfect for Jasper and the Major.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello my darlings! As you can see I've written another sorta o/s for your reading pleasure. I will be adding at least one more chapter to this in the future. For now though I'll be leaving you all waiting b/c I'm evil that way. Please review and let me know what you think! Lots of love!**

**~Elle**


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